ok. i got my band in feb 2004. my doc was almost 2 hrs out of town and we had a small child and life got busy and i didn't go to follow ups appropriately. long story short, i need to find a dr and have my band reevaluatediwe have had 3 more chldren since then w/no complications and no need for un-fills. all our children were term and at a healty weight. i too didn't gain a significant amt of weight 8-14 lbs each pregnancy. long story short, i still have some restriction but i have learned to 'eat around' my band, and i don't follow all the rules. i recently joined ww. i can eat everything i'm supposed to - but b /c of my band - sometimes it takes me FOREVER to eat anything. of course junk (crackers, chips) goes down much easier than say chicken breast or turkey burgers..... i want to re-learn how to use my tool. any advice or feedback is greatly appreciated. btw, our youngest child is now 9 months....all girls!!

ok. i got my band in feb 2004. my doc was almost 2 hrs out of town and we had a small child and life got busy and i didn't go to follow ups appropriately. long story short, i need to find a dr and have my band reevaluatediwe have had 3 more chldren since then w/no complications and no need for un-fills. all our children were term and at a healty weight. i too didn't gain a significant amt of weight 8-14 lbs each pregnancy. long story short, i still have some restriction but i have learned to 'eat around' my band, and i don't follow all the rules. i recently joined ww. i can eat everything i'm supposed to - but b /c of my band - sometimes it takes me FOREVER to eat anything. of course junk (crackers, chips) goes down much easier than say chicken breast or turkey burgers..... i want to re-learn how to use my tool. any advice or feedback is greatly appreciated. btw, our youngest child is now 9 months....all girls!!

Oh my Gosh, I have the exact problem except I am 55 years old and children wasn'tthe problem. But I have had mine 3 years now and I have learned to eat right around it. I too take forever to eat and my friends who don't know I had it done make fun of me for eatin so slow. But my biggest problem is that I drink with my food. Have you had any advice that has helped you?

I think it would be a great idea for both of you to go back to your band docs and start over with the exception of having the surgery. You already have the band in there and that is a good thing. Get a fill and start over with the post-op eating plan, Don't feel bad about anything because you have just been living life.

Congrats on your girls! That's good to hear and good luck on getting back on track! I can only imagine having to tend to children and keep up with all of these rules we have with the band!

I have the same problem with Drs. My Dr. is 4 hours out. I found Fill Centers USA at (http://www.fillcentersusa.com) They should be able to find a Dr. in your area. They have very reasonable prices. I hope they can help you with what you are looking for; even if it is not a fill.

I think it would be a great idea for both of you to go back to your band docs and start over with the exception of having the surgery. You already have the band in there and that is a good thing. Get a fill and start over with the post-op eating plan, Don't feel bad about anything because you have just been living life.

Yea maybe start over with liquids.. mushies..etc and just get focused on your goal!

But I would go check and make sure all is well with your band with a doctor since it's been so long.

Yea maybe start over with liquids.. mushies..etc and just get focused on your goal!

But I would go check and make sure all is well with your band with a doctor since it's been so long.

Im in this same boat. Got my fill today and now im back to band life!

Unfortunately a fill is not gonna help if you are not willing to "unlearn" how to eat around the band. No matter how tight it gets if you know and are willing to eat mushies and ice cream etc you will not be able to get the expectations you want. Also if it is still on your plate 30 min after you start you need to stop and walk away. After 30 minutes you are just "grazing" and you will never really feel full and will not get the results you are wanting.

Good luck to you both, maybe even talk to the doc psych person see if there are some issues why you are not eating right.

ok. i got my band in feb 2004. my doc was almost 2 hrs out of town and we had a small child and life got busy and i didn't go to follow ups appropriately. long story short, i need to find a dr and have my band reevaluatediwe have had 3 more chldren since then w/no complications and no need for un-fills. all our children were term and at a healty weight. i too didn't gain a significant amt of weight 8-14 lbs each pregnancy. long story short, i still have some restriction but i have learned to 'eat around' my band, and i don't follow all the rules. i recently joined ww. i can eat everything i'm supposed to - but b /c of my band - sometimes it takes me FOREVER to eat anything. of course junk (crackers, chips) goes down much easier than say chicken breast or turkey burgers..... i want to re-learn how to use my tool. any advice or feedback is greatly appreciated. btw, our youngest child is now 9 months....all girls!!

The children were worth it but time to get back on track.. I think you need to find a fill Doc close to you that you can talk to. Also there is a book called "The Lifestyle Guide for the banded". You can get it through Fill Centers USA. It has turned a lot of peoples lives around. I read it and it will completely educate you on the band and eating with the band. The best thing is it will motivate you. Some of the stuff--no milk, etc I dont agree with, but generally speaking it is right on. It is the only book out there to help just the banded. Dont quit, talk to Fill Cneters about a Doc near you. If they dont have one near you start calling around until you find one you trust and get started. The very best of luck to you.